For many years I have used several different brands of reed cases. The first case I ever purchased was during my junior year in college. David Shifrin used to sell them for $12 apiece (those were the days!), and it was a folding case with a fake leather cover over hardboard with plexiglas on the base for the flat part of the reeds to sit on and a cloth pad on the top that closed down onto the reed - pushing it flat against the plexiglas. It was made by one of his friends, and I never did find a source for them after I graduated from Michigan. Luckily, I had purchased two of them, and one is still in use 23 years later!

 

The second brand of case I purchased was a Bob Harrison reed case. In fact, I purchased one for my Eb Clarinet reeds and one for my Bass Clarinet reeds. What attracted me to these cases was the beautiful wood that Bob used. Back in the 1980s, no one else seemed to be mass marketing reed cases, and I was willing to spend $35 for each case. They were very similar to the cheaper cases I had purchased from David Shifrin, but they employed a glass piece inside the bass rather than plexiglas. Unfortunately, the clasps and hinges on these Harrison cases soon became bent and/or broken, and I had to resort to using rubber bands and velcro to keep them working. I eventually had to replace both cases because the hinges finally blew apart and the wood was too thin to reattach new hinges in their place. Sadly, Bob Harrison passed away a few years ago, and no one was left making reed cases similar to his in an affordable price range. Subsequently, I discovered the Selmer cases - made with a fake leather exterior but with better clasps and hinges than the Harrison cases. The Selmer cases also employ a glass piece inside the base. The only drawback for this case was the price - over $35 for a Bb Soprano case - discounted. List was $45 or more.

 

 

In 2001, I began making batons and baton cases. A student asked if I would ever consider making reed cases, and, after examining the cases I owned, I came to the conclusion that I could probably make such a case in my wood shop. After spending an incredible amount of time working out a design for a jig to use with a router, locating quality hinges, choosing a simple but workable clasp, figuring out how to make an attractive pad for the top piece, and destroying quite a bit of superb quality oak and maple in trying to make a prototype, I finally was able to make a satisfactory reed case that I feel comfortable selling. I use plexiglas rather than glass - primarily because there is no noticeable difference in performance between my first cases that had plexiglas and my later cases that included glass. The plexiglas is less expensive, easier to shape, and if you drop it, it doesn't break. Who can argue with that kind of product? Eventually, one of the bassoon students at Illinois Wesleyan University, Amy Plazek, asked if I would consider creating a double-reed case. After researching ways to hold the reed in the case, I settled on a foam rubber product created and cut specifically for these cases. Cases are now available for Clarinet, Saxophone, Bassoon, Oboe, and Contra-Bassoon

Standard cases are made from Oak and Maple. Both woods are left natural, and both styles of wood cases receive a minimum of two coats of premium lacquer. Any other wood can be used to make a special order for reed cases. Possible choices might include Cherry, Rosewood, Walnut, Mahogany, and Aromatic Cedar. Please email if you have ideas for choices of wood that you are interested in. If given a few weeks, I can accommodate most requests.

 

The clasps are a simple hook design. I can purchase and install the spring loaded latches that are on some of the more expensive cases, but I have had these latches fail, and they are expensive and messy to repair. I decided to stick with the more simple and easy to adjust hook and screw latch. Bb Clarinet Reed Cases will also store soprano and alto saxophone reeds. They measure approximately 8 inches long by 3 and 3/4 inches wide, and they are about 7/8 inches thick. They will accommodate between 12 and 14 reeds (less of the alto saxophone reeds). The Bass Clarinet Reed Case will also hold Tenor Saxophone reeds, and measures about a 1/4 inch wider. It will store between 10 and 12 reeds. The Contra-Alto Clarinet reed case will work for Baritone Saxophone reeds as well. It is even wider by another  inch and will store approximately ten reeds.

Oboe and Bassoon cases are created in much the same way as their cousins in the single reed area. However, the cases are slightly thicker. Reeds are held in place by foam inserts that were designed by me and are made by a well known company that specializes in all kinds of open and closed cell foams, rubbers, and foam rubbers. Unlike other similar cases that use foam inserts, the oboe case inserts were designed to hold the oboe reeds at the cork rather than the neck. The thinking behind this was that the cork tends to be a constant measurement with all reeds and reed makers. When the case is closed, the cane sits between two closed cell foam mats and will not move around. The latch mechanism is a simple, rare earth magnet on both lids that meet and keep the lids together. No difficult latches to mess with! The logo is discreetly placed on the inside of the case. The Oboe Reed Case measures 6 inches long by 3-3/4 inches wide and is 1 inch thick. It will hold 8 oboes reeds. The Bassoon Reed Case measures 5-3/4 inches long by 3- 1/4 inches wide. It is also 1 inch thick and will hold 6 bassoon reeds. The Contra-Bassoon Reed Case is the same dimensions as the Oboe Reed Case and will hold 6 contra-bassoon reeds.

Of the frequently requested exotic woods, zebrawood, spalted maple, grenadilla, and rosewood, are the most popular. Here are some examples of the zebrawood and spalted maple cases:

Quite often, customers request special order cases to fit their particular needs. For example, the tenor saxophone and bass clarinet reed cases pictured immediately above were designed for a customer who wanted two reed cases that would each hold just two reeds. He provided the dimensions of the reeds, and I created an oak reed case for each style that would fit his needs. In this case, the cost was about the same as a standard reed case because the labor to create the reed case is essentially the same for either size. In fact, the labor was greater because a special template and two extra spacing blocks had to be created to work with the tooling I already had for bass clarinet and tenor saxophone reed cases. In the example below, a customer in a symphony orchestra wanted a bassoon reed case that would fit in his tuxedo coat pocket, so he sent the exterior dimensions of the case with a request that the case hold three bassoon reeds. Again, the cocobolo case was custom made by creating a new template and spacer blocks to use with the current tooling.

Care and Treatment of Your Cases

Keep in mind that all reed cases are made from wood and finished in lacquer - not varnish or polyurethane. Some bassoonists and oboists like to store their reeds that have been soaking in water for a long period of time directly in the reed case.  I do not recommend storing bassoon and oboe reeds in these cases while the reeds are completely saturated and/or dripping with water. Lacquer is quite protective and is a professional quality wood sealant, but if it is repeatedly exposed to water that is left to sit on the finish, the lacquer seal will eventually fail, and the wood will age quickly. Over time, the wood will become compromised. I recommend making sure that any reeds that are soaking wet are not stored in the case until they dry out a bit. 
Certainly no water should be in direct contact with the lacquer.

Clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxophone reed cases are made with plexiglass. Plexiglass is no different than glass in terms of storage of reeds. While some clarinetists believe that storage of reeds on glass and/or plexiglass will prevent warpage, the truth is that both materials are non-porous and will encourage the reed to dry from the thinnest part of the reed (outside edges) first and gradually dry from outside to in. As a result, warping can occur. I recommend reeds be dried with the flat (back) side up and then, after the reed is dry, place the reed in the case (back/flat side against the plexiglass) with the butt end towards the hinges. Understand that dropping a wood case can result in a cracked case, hinges that blow apart, or plexiglass that is shaken loose. Please take care to avoid dropping these beautiful wood pieces.

Defective Merchandise and Returns

There is no stated or implied warranty associated with any of the products I manufacture. After receiving the product, it is up to the customer to visually inspect the product to be sure that no damage has occurred during shipment. If the item was shipped without insurance and the item was lost, the manufacturer and distributor is not responsible for replacing the item. If insurance was paid, replacement of the item or refunding of the payment for the item can take 90 days or longer. In a recent shipment via the US Postal Service, an item was “lost” and then, after 60 days, was mysteriously found and delivered by the shipper only after a claim had been filed by me (at the 60 day point)! Therefore, regardless of the time involved, any products purchased from this company may not be replaced or refunded until the claim has been paid in full by the shipper to me. If additional services that include a guaranteed delivery date, such as Express Delivery or Second Day Air, are used, they must be paid for by the customer. In these cases, items that are lost will be replaced or refunded in a timely manner, often within a few weeks of the claim for loss.

Defective merchandise can be exchanged item for item or repaired provided that the defective merchandise is returned to me for my inspection and that the merchandise is indeed deemed to be defective. If the item is returned and, through the inspection process, I determine that the product has been misused or damaged by the customer, a replacement item will not be authorized. The customer is expected to have read all information at this web site that deals with correct care and maintenance of products I sell.

All returns must be shipped pre-paid unless prior arrangements are made with me. Shipping of defective merchandise back to the customer will be the responsibility of the customer. Shipping charges are not refundable nor can I accept any returns on custom orders (for example, reed cases made from wood other than oak, birch or maple).

I do recommend that you package the item(s) securely with appropriate bubble wrap or some other protective packing material, insure your package and send it via a trackable carrier such as FedEx, Express or Priority Mail and/or UPS. I am not responsible for lost or damaged shipments being returned to me.

Returned merchandise is to be shipped to: Roger Garrett, 17 Cashel Dr., Bloomington, IL 61704 USA

 * = Pricing for exotic and imported woods is unstable and may be quoted different at the time an order is placed.

Any of these cases may be ordered in other woods such as spalted maple, mahogany, walnut, cherry, and exotic woods such as rosewood, zebrawood, paduk, redheart, cocobolo, grenadilla, lacewood, yellowheart, purpleheart, ebony, etc.  Please call or e-mail for pricing of special woods.

 

Shipping, tracking and/or insurance will be $10.  Additional cases will cost a little more.  Call or email for additional shipping charges and/or services.

 

Purchasing:

 

 

For large or special orders, please allow me several weeks notification.

 

Money Order or Cashiers Check will be the only acceptable form of payment.

All orders must be prepaid before they are shipped.

 

Please send payment to the following address:

 

Roger Garrett

17 Cashel Drive

Bloomington, IL 61704

 

I can be reached at Illinois Wesleyan University:

Phone: (309) 556-3268

Email:  rgarrett@iwu.edu